The temps are finally starting to warm up and the robins are back! You can't imagine what joy that brings me! This has been a long, cold, snowy winter and I am ready to get back at it in the yard and garden. I have such a long list of things to do out there that it is a bit daunting. Last year's slacking will come back and bite me in the rear-end this year!
I took a little cruise around the yard last evening while playing catch with my son. I spied daylilies starting to poke through the soil already. Mind, they are in a very protected sunny spot but still! It's so good to see them. The trees planted in the windbreak along the side of the yard have lost so many branches and twigs. It will take a full morning just to get them all picked up and hauled to the tree pile. Ugh! That is my least favorite job of all!
I placed my seed order last week and a package full of lovely, organic seeds arrived yesterday. Lovely lettuces, green beans, summer squashes, cucumbers, and herbs will soon be sprouting in the garden--well, not until late May. I have our seed potatoes ready for planting the first of April -- Yukon Golds, Kennebecs, and some fingerling variety. Our cupboards are bare of home canned foods due to the lack of canning last summer. I have big plans to change that this year!
Another fun activity going on around here is spring calving. So far, we have 6 little black calves frolicking around in the little pasture near 0ur home. They are so much fun to watch. They buck and jump and take off with a start, chasing one another in their game of tag. I truly enjoy helping my husband with the cattle, even though I admit that I am scared of the mamas. They can be quite snippy if you get too close to their precious calf! They snort and paw the ground and will take you if you don't get out of the way within the amount of time they think they should allow you! They do, however, love my husband. They recognize when he drives into the yard with the tractor and will huddle around the gate, waiting for him to drive on in and spread the hay for them to eat. He can get close up to several of them and scratch their heads. They love him so much you can almost see the little valentine hearts floating around their heads. Perhaps I should be jealous?? ;)
I hope spring is coming to your neck of the woods with all the fun and promise it holds!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
In the Depths of Winter
I can't believe it's been nearly 3 months since my last post. Yikes! Life has just been busy with the holidays, taking care of the animals, and trying to stay warm during this horrible winter! We were socked in with another winter storm this week, producing snow and frigid temperatures. The windchill has been down to -40°F the past few days. People lucky enough to live in warmer climates have asked me what that feels like and how we survive it. I have told them to squeeze an ice cube in their hand and hold it until they can't stand it, then keep holding it. That is how cold these temps feel. The strong cold winds absolutely suck the breath out of your lungs so that you can't take a breath in until you turn away from it. How do we survive it?? We dress in a lot of warm layers when outside and don't stay out for any longer than necessary. We have a lot of hay out for our cattle to bed down in and have stacked big round hay bales as wind blocks. Their coats are long and shaggy and as long as they have plenty of feed and water and a wind block they are quite content. We have a big pile of hay for our barn cats and they, too, are happy with full bellies and a warm hay pile. We spend the long nights in the house by the fireplace playing a lot of board games and dreaming of spring gardens!
Speaking of gardens, the garden catalogs have been arriving in full force and that really puts the spring bug into my blood! We are planning on a huge garden this year to make up for our pitiful garden last year. We are down to less than a dozen jars of tomatoes but luckily we have several jars of salsa from 2 years ago. Salsa tastes great with scrambled eggs or with corn chips. I am going to order some seeds in a couple weeks and that will make me believe spring is almost here. The only thing I have been growing are broccoli and alfalfa sprouts on the counter by the kitchen sink. I purchase seed specifically for sprouting and place it in a canning jar on which I have attached a piece of nylon mesh as a lid. I just secure it with a large rubber band. I rinse it several times daily and keep it warm and within a few days we have fresh sprouts to eat on salads or sandwiches. I have been using the crockpot a lot this winter, especially for soups and stews.
This weekend we will watch the SuperBowl at home. Our son is a football fanatic so we are going to have our own little SuperBowl party with yummy food and a fire roaring in the fireplace. On the menu are slow baked barbecue ribs, corn chips and salsa, and sliced vegies and dip. Unfortunately, the vegies are store bought but such is life during a Nebraska winter! I hope you are all faring well during the cold temps!
Speaking of gardens, the garden catalogs have been arriving in full force and that really puts the spring bug into my blood! We are planning on a huge garden this year to make up for our pitiful garden last year. We are down to less than a dozen jars of tomatoes but luckily we have several jars of salsa from 2 years ago. Salsa tastes great with scrambled eggs or with corn chips. I am going to order some seeds in a couple weeks and that will make me believe spring is almost here. The only thing I have been growing are broccoli and alfalfa sprouts on the counter by the kitchen sink. I purchase seed specifically for sprouting and place it in a canning jar on which I have attached a piece of nylon mesh as a lid. I just secure it with a large rubber band. I rinse it several times daily and keep it warm and within a few days we have fresh sprouts to eat on salads or sandwiches. I have been using the crockpot a lot this winter, especially for soups and stews.
This weekend we will watch the SuperBowl at home. Our son is a football fanatic so we are going to have our own little SuperBowl party with yummy food and a fire roaring in the fireplace. On the menu are slow baked barbecue ribs, corn chips and salsa, and sliced vegies and dip. Unfortunately, the vegies are store bought but such is life during a Nebraska winter! I hope you are all faring well during the cold temps!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Bread Recipes
As the weather turns colder I find myself doing more baking in the kitchen. Here are a few recipes for some simple baking during the cool, fall season.
PUMPKIN BREAD
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I sometime use half white, half whole-wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups sugar (it's a lot, I know. I've used 1 1/2 cups before and it's good, not great)
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree
2/3 cup water.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three loaf pans. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. In a larger bowl, blend sugar, oil, and eggs. Stir in pumpkin. Slowly blend in the flour mixture. While blending the mixture add water incrementally. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pans. Start checking with a toothpick at 50 minutes to see if it comes out clean. You may need to bake for 60 + minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
The following recipe is for 2 loaves of plain, white bread (or whole wheat if you use whole wheat flour).
SIMPLE BREAD
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar (actually I use 2 Tablespoons and it is delicious)
1 1/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable, canola, or extra light olive oil
6 cups bread flour (I use 3 white, 3 whole wheat)
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water. Allow to proof for 10 minutes. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place in two well oiled 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans. (You can also shape dough into dinner rolls and bake on a baking sheet).
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
What are you making in your kitchen these days?
PUMPKIN BREAD
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I sometime use half white, half whole-wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups sugar (it's a lot, I know. I've used 1 1/2 cups before and it's good, not great)
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree
2/3 cup water.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three loaf pans. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. In a larger bowl, blend sugar, oil, and eggs. Stir in pumpkin. Slowly blend in the flour mixture. While blending the mixture add water incrementally. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pans. Start checking with a toothpick at 50 minutes to see if it comes out clean. You may need to bake for 60 + minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
The following recipe is for 2 loaves of plain, white bread (or whole wheat if you use whole wheat flour).
SIMPLE BREAD
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar (actually I use 2 Tablespoons and it is delicious)
1 1/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable, canola, or extra light olive oil
6 cups bread flour (I use 3 white, 3 whole wheat)
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water. Allow to proof for 10 minutes. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place in two well oiled 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans. (You can also shape dough into dinner rolls and bake on a baking sheet).
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
What are you making in your kitchen these days?
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
A Day on the Farm
Pat at Living the Dream Portugal tagged me to give a meme on a typical day here on the farm. The fall season here in Nebraska has stopped all gardening for the year but I will give a precis on what we did Sunday, October 31st. It was a bit of a lazy day so it might not be that interesting! :)
7:45 a.m. -- We woke and hurried out of bed to get to church by 8:30. It's been a while since I've gone -- I think early August?? That's so bad for me to go for so long. I think religion is a personal, private thing and I don't always think I have to go to church to talk to God. That's all I will say here.
9:45 a.m. -- Back home from church. My husband is busy with the fall harvest (corn and soybeans) and I have a small list of things I want to get done in and around the house today. The gardening for the season is over -- not that it was much of a harvest. My gardening had to take a backseat to my 2 part-time jobs in town. Hopefully next year I will be down to only one job. Sometimes money issues (doctor bills, etc. ) have to take priority. I was able to grow a huge crop of cucumbers and zucchini and was able to get some tomatoes and peppers. I'm left alone for the day to do what I wish.
10:00 a.m. -- I decide to do a little cooking for today's meals and the following week's. I put a beef stew in the slow cooker for supper. Today is Halloween and our little boy is going out as King Arthur, complete with crown and sword. I thought a good, hot supper would maybe fill him up so he won't gorge himself on candy! Yeah, right! The stew has good home-grown beef, onions, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and herbs. Should be good! I roast up 6 huge organically raised chicken breasts so I can take the meat off to use for quick suppers and casseroles. The leftover skin and bones will be frozen and boiled up another day to make good chicken stock. With some of the meat I make a chicken spaghetti casserole that is so easy and delicious. I freeze it for later in the week. I also mix up a double batch of pumpkin bread which gives me 6 huge loaves of the sweet bread. Five of those will be wrapped and stuck in the freezer for future use.
11:30 -- A good pantry cleaning and organization is in need so I tackle this project. A good way to be able to produce good, healthy meals from your kitchen is to have it clean and organized and stocked with the good ingredients to do so. I'm a bit persnickety and like to have all like ingredients organized in neat rows, etc. (My husband says I'm anal about this! lol) Usually, my pantry would be stocked with lots of jars of home canned goodies such as green beans, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, whole tomatoes, salsas, soups, pickles, etc. However, it didn't happen this year so have had to purchase store goods to stock the pantry. There is always next year!
12:15 -- Lunch is a bowl of tomato soup leftover from yesterday and a slice of toasted homemade bread. Yummy! The soup is from some of the few home-grown tomatoes I was able to get out of the garden. I have a slice of still-warm pumpkin bread. Just delicious smeared with a bit of butter.
12:45 -- The day has warmed up so I head outside to do some fall cleanup in my flower beds out in front of the house. I pull some of the weeds and lay cardboard down between the perennials and then top that with chipped tree branches the local utility company let us have. I divide and transplant a few day lilies. It's pretty late in the season but I think they will be ok. I have a big square plant bed right off the front of my house and I want to turn this into an herb garden next summer. There were a few plants left in it (some cranesbill geranium, autumn sedum, and a rose) so I dug those out and placed them in another area of the yard. The plan is to put in chives, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, lavender, sage, parsley, lemon balm, and mint next summer.
2:30 -- I decide to go in and put my feet up and watch a movie with my daughter who has just stopped out for a visit (really a visit to use my washing machine). :) She just graduated from college and is working in town as a physical therapist assistant. She has brought a scary movie (it is Halloween after all) "The Crazies." It was crazy all right. I'm not a huge fan of scary movies but this had quite a twist to it and I actually enjoyed it!
4:30 -- My husband dropped our son off to get ready for trick-or-treating. He is so cute dressed up as King Arthur and very excited to head to town to start the festivities. I check the stew (smells so good!) and get ready to go.
5:30 -- Trick or treating! Happy Halloween! It's the only day of the year adults can dress up as goofs and no one questions them! I saw a witch, a clown, and Darth Vadar driving cars. So funny! My son collects a huge bag of candy and is very happy with his gleanings!
7:30 -- Home again and I put supper on the table. The stew is delicious served with some homemade dinner rolls out of the freezer. After supper, our son gets ready for bed and my husband and I have a quiet evening watching football (not soccer for you Europeans but American football -- lol). We really love college football and are big fans of the Univeristy of Nebraska Cornhuskers -- who beat Missouri yesterday! Go Big Red! I read the paper and did embroidery work on some dish towels that I am making for Christmas gifts.
9:45 -- I'm usually a night owl but I am really tired tonight so I head for bed. Nighty, night!
Kind of a dull day around here but it's my life here in Nebraska, USA. Hope you enjoyed reading it!
7:45 a.m. -- We woke and hurried out of bed to get to church by 8:30. It's been a while since I've gone -- I think early August?? That's so bad for me to go for so long. I think religion is a personal, private thing and I don't always think I have to go to church to talk to God. That's all I will say here.
9:45 a.m. -- Back home from church. My husband is busy with the fall harvest (corn and soybeans) and I have a small list of things I want to get done in and around the house today. The gardening for the season is over -- not that it was much of a harvest. My gardening had to take a backseat to my 2 part-time jobs in town. Hopefully next year I will be down to only one job. Sometimes money issues (doctor bills, etc. ) have to take priority. I was able to grow a huge crop of cucumbers and zucchini and was able to get some tomatoes and peppers. I'm left alone for the day to do what I wish.
10:00 a.m. -- I decide to do a little cooking for today's meals and the following week's. I put a beef stew in the slow cooker for supper. Today is Halloween and our little boy is going out as King Arthur, complete with crown and sword. I thought a good, hot supper would maybe fill him up so he won't gorge himself on candy! Yeah, right! The stew has good home-grown beef, onions, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and herbs. Should be good! I roast up 6 huge organically raised chicken breasts so I can take the meat off to use for quick suppers and casseroles. The leftover skin and bones will be frozen and boiled up another day to make good chicken stock. With some of the meat I make a chicken spaghetti casserole that is so easy and delicious. I freeze it for later in the week. I also mix up a double batch of pumpkin bread which gives me 6 huge loaves of the sweet bread. Five of those will be wrapped and stuck in the freezer for future use.
11:30 -- A good pantry cleaning and organization is in need so I tackle this project. A good way to be able to produce good, healthy meals from your kitchen is to have it clean and organized and stocked with the good ingredients to do so. I'm a bit persnickety and like to have all like ingredients organized in neat rows, etc. (My husband says I'm anal about this! lol) Usually, my pantry would be stocked with lots of jars of home canned goodies such as green beans, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, whole tomatoes, salsas, soups, pickles, etc. However, it didn't happen this year so have had to purchase store goods to stock the pantry. There is always next year!
12:15 -- Lunch is a bowl of tomato soup leftover from yesterday and a slice of toasted homemade bread. Yummy! The soup is from some of the few home-grown tomatoes I was able to get out of the garden. I have a slice of still-warm pumpkin bread. Just delicious smeared with a bit of butter.
12:45 -- The day has warmed up so I head outside to do some fall cleanup in my flower beds out in front of the house. I pull some of the weeds and lay cardboard down between the perennials and then top that with chipped tree branches the local utility company let us have. I divide and transplant a few day lilies. It's pretty late in the season but I think they will be ok. I have a big square plant bed right off the front of my house and I want to turn this into an herb garden next summer. There were a few plants left in it (some cranesbill geranium, autumn sedum, and a rose) so I dug those out and placed them in another area of the yard. The plan is to put in chives, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, lavender, sage, parsley, lemon balm, and mint next summer.
2:30 -- I decide to go in and put my feet up and watch a movie with my daughter who has just stopped out for a visit (really a visit to use my washing machine). :) She just graduated from college and is working in town as a physical therapist assistant. She has brought a scary movie (it is Halloween after all) "The Crazies." It was crazy all right. I'm not a huge fan of scary movies but this had quite a twist to it and I actually enjoyed it!
4:30 -- My husband dropped our son off to get ready for trick-or-treating. He is so cute dressed up as King Arthur and very excited to head to town to start the festivities. I check the stew (smells so good!) and get ready to go.
5:30 -- Trick or treating! Happy Halloween! It's the only day of the year adults can dress up as goofs and no one questions them! I saw a witch, a clown, and Darth Vadar driving cars. So funny! My son collects a huge bag of candy and is very happy with his gleanings!
7:30 -- Home again and I put supper on the table. The stew is delicious served with some homemade dinner rolls out of the freezer. After supper, our son gets ready for bed and my husband and I have a quiet evening watching football (not soccer for you Europeans but American football -- lol). We really love college football and are big fans of the Univeristy of Nebraska Cornhuskers -- who beat Missouri yesterday! Go Big Red! I read the paper and did embroidery work on some dish towels that I am making for Christmas gifts.
9:45 -- I'm usually a night owl but I am really tired tonight so I head for bed. Nighty, night!
Kind of a dull day around here but it's my life here in Nebraska, USA. Hope you enjoyed reading it!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Summer's End
I can't believe that this HOT, humid summer is almost over! School started today (on a Friday???) and that just really seems to put the cap on summer. Did I accomplish everything we set out to accomplish during the warm months? Not even close! My jobs kept me so busy during July and August that my garden has been overrun by weeds and pests. It makes me so mad that I let this happen but the downside of working two jobs is that things at home sometimes slide. I hope to have only one part-time job next year so I can keep up better at home.
Still, the garden has done well for me. I was able to freeze 27 quarts of freezer cucumbers and have oodles of tomatoes, peppers, and onions to deal with. Salsa, chopped tomatoes, tomato soup, vegetable soup, pasta sauce, and pizza sauce will be made next week. I was able to make a few batches last month but want to make several large batches to stock the pantry. My spaghetti squash has gone mad and I'm looking forward to many meals made with it this fall!
We were able to get away for a week-long trip to California to visit friends. Summer is not very conducive to vacations for farmers, but after the sudden deaths of our brother in law and a neighbor we realized that life is too short and one must live it to the fullest extent possible. With the help of another good neighbor who volunteered to run the show at home, we were able to drive out and visit the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, and the beach with our good friends. What a marvelous time we had and I can now say that I have seen the ocean. Amazing! We had such a good time and can't wait to go another time.
I hope you all are doing well and enjoying the last days of summer. Take care!
Still, the garden has done well for me. I was able to freeze 27 quarts of freezer cucumbers and have oodles of tomatoes, peppers, and onions to deal with. Salsa, chopped tomatoes, tomato soup, vegetable soup, pasta sauce, and pizza sauce will be made next week. I was able to make a few batches last month but want to make several large batches to stock the pantry. My spaghetti squash has gone mad and I'm looking forward to many meals made with it this fall!
We were able to get away for a week-long trip to California to visit friends. Summer is not very conducive to vacations for farmers, but after the sudden deaths of our brother in law and a neighbor we realized that life is too short and one must live it to the fullest extent possible. With the help of another good neighbor who volunteered to run the show at home, we were able to drive out and visit the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, and the beach with our good friends. What a marvelous time we had and I can now say that I have seen the ocean. Amazing! We had such a good time and can't wait to go another time.
I hope you all are doing well and enjoying the last days of summer. Take care!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
July
Wow! It's been a long time since my last post! Things are just so busy around here during this season that I just don't get much time to sit down and write a proper post! The garden is going like mad now and I have been preserving as much of it as I can. I've put freezer cucumbers, chopped onions, chopped sweet peppers, sweet pepper slices, shredded zucchini, and green beans into the freezer. I made some zucchini pickles but I didn't think they turned out very good. My husband liked them but I think he was just being nice. We've been eating beans, cucumbers, and zucchini until we are about sick of them! My tomatoes are really slow -- I hope they take off soon. There are loads of blooms but the fruits are just taking forever.
The weather has been HOT and humid. We're not used to it as last summer was unusually cool so it's been 2 years since our last hot summer! My husband has been putting up hay like a mad man and we've been blessed to have such a thick stand of prairie hay and alfalfa. The wet weather in June really made the grass and alfalfa grow.
We had our niece and nephew here for a few days and they helped me outside get some odds and ends done. I'm still working my two part-time jobs and that just really takes a big chunk out of the time that I could be working outside. Why do we have to have money to live???? grrrrr
I hope this finds you all doing well in your summer gardens.
The weather has been HOT and humid. We're not used to it as last summer was unusually cool so it's been 2 years since our last hot summer! My husband has been putting up hay like a mad man and we've been blessed to have such a thick stand of prairie hay and alfalfa. The wet weather in June really made the grass and alfalfa grow.
We had our niece and nephew here for a few days and they helped me outside get some odds and ends done. I'm still working my two part-time jobs and that just really takes a big chunk out of the time that I could be working outside. Why do we have to have money to live???? grrrrr
I hope this finds you all doing well in your summer gardens.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Summer
Time has been flying by. I can't believe it is already July 7th and I haven't even made a dent in my summer "to do" list! I guess that's the way it usually goes. We had a wonderful 4th of July with family and friends converging at our place for the weekend. We had guests from California and their children are now addicted to fireworks! Unlike here in Nebraska, in California you can't purchase fireworks for private use. The kids were mesmerized by all the goodies we had for them. Sparklers, smoke bombs, and snaps were a hit and, of course, all the big artillery shells, fountains, and cones the men lit for them. We feasted on grilled chicken, potato salad, buttermilk brownies, and homemade ice cream and then waddled out to the yard to watch the show. I love the 4th!
Things are really picking up in the garden. I picked our first zucchini yesterday and on Sunday I was able to pick 2 ripe grape tomatoes! The tomato and pepper plants are just loaded with little sprouts so it looks like it will be a great year in that category. My onions are doing well and the cukes and beans are loaded with blossoms. The perennial flowers are really starting up their summer show as well. The daylilies are so beautiful this year!
I picked enough mulberries off a tree in our pasture to make a delicious mulberry crisp. It was wonderful topped with the leftover homemade ice cream! My husband has been haying like a mad man. With all the rain we've had our hay meadows were so tall with the native grasses that grow there. They were covered with bales of hay, which are now lined up in a neat row. I dearly love summer! Happy summer days to you all!
Things are really picking up in the garden. I picked our first zucchini yesterday and on Sunday I was able to pick 2 ripe grape tomatoes! The tomato and pepper plants are just loaded with little sprouts so it looks like it will be a great year in that category. My onions are doing well and the cukes and beans are loaded with blossoms. The perennial flowers are really starting up their summer show as well. The daylilies are so beautiful this year!
I picked enough mulberries off a tree in our pasture to make a delicious mulberry crisp. It was wonderful topped with the leftover homemade ice cream! My husband has been haying like a mad man. With all the rain we've had our hay meadows were so tall with the native grasses that grow there. They were covered with bales of hay, which are now lined up in a neat row. I dearly love summer! Happy summer days to you all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)